New Orleans

4 May First impressions
8 May Hell ride to Cajun country

4th May

It's Wednesday and we're in new Orleans.

I really like the place despite all the tawdry part of it. We're hiring a car tomorrow to go to Cajun country for some musc, then back here to catch the train to El Paso on Friday. We should be in Mexico on Saturday (Sunday your time).

Tell Jen I will answer her email but it may be a letter instead - can't keep up with all the emails I'm receiving!!!

I think what we eat in Australia beats anything here by a long shot. Moira has just been to a two hour Cajun cooking class so maybe she will enlighten me - I don't think Yanks know what good food is!!!!! Everything is so adulterated - even the sour cream can be NO FAT sour cream!!!????. They sweeten their bread too - yuk!

Am having fun here -just had a tattoo put on my arm (of the henna variety only - looks good)

Index..

8th May

We are getting use to the keyboards here and the time it takes to get into the net. I thought I might send you some notes to put on the site.

Index..

Cajun country

To add a bit of excitement to our trip to explore Cajun food, music, dance and country we decided to hire a car with the use of a local map and head off for a Sunday drive.

We visited Barateria in Jean Lafette´s National Park that contains the Bayou. The walk takes in palenettos and the occasional alligator.

The next destination was Beaux Bridge for the Cajun cultural experience. After some miscalculation with reading the map that is direction and highway numbers we arrived at Breaux Bridge at eight in the evening to find an ´International´Crawfish and Afro American Festival and the whole town was booked out.

We visited Mulate´s (the original Cajun dance hall) had a meal and enjoyed the music and dancing. The meal consisted of crumbed frogs legs, catfish, shrimp, oysters stuffed crab and capsicum and jambalaya topped with Cajun punch (a coconut rum with a red juice??).

It took a number of rounds around the town before we managed to find the way to the next town of Layfette in search for accommodation. Layfette was having a convention and all the hotel accommodation was booked.

On travelling further to Batton Rouge in hope for a bed, one of the highway signs advertised Mulate´s dance hall in Baton Rouge as well as New Orleans. Not a good sign at 12.30 in the morning.

We finally hit the pillow in Baton Rouge at 1 am.

The next morning, the decided route was the scenic route to New Orleans that took in many industrial sites, levees and the occasional plantation house along the way.

With the time drawing close to returning the car, the route was not the same as that taken out of New Orleans and this created some angst as we only had directions for exiting off highway 10 to the car rental place. To add a bit of atmosphere, it started to rain and the windscreen wipers were not the greatest. Finally ending up on highway 10, we managed to get to the car rental place just after 12.

Index..

Leaving New Orleans

The rush back from the Cajun country experience was to catch the train to El Paso. We checked our luggage in at 12.30 for the 1.45 train.

After some time close to departure we noticed that there was no indication of our train was about to leave. On approaching the ticket officer we found that the train would be 2 hrs late and we would not be leaving before 4.30 (to Jane) and 5.39 (to Moira). We made a decision to take the 2-hr trolley ride through parts of New Orleans instead of the Jazz festival.

On our return we discovered that the train was further delayed so we decided to walk in the warehouse district and came across and Internet cafe in which we spent an hour before the train was re, re scheduled to leave. We returned only to find a further delay that sent us to the nearest bar.

After two drinks the bartender advised us one to go, as this was the done thing in New Orleans. After much deliberation, Moira and Jane entered the streets with one to go in hand.

At the station, Jane held the drinks while Moira collected the luggage. We poured our one to go into a water bottle for the train journey that was ready to leave in 10 mins.

More of the train ride later.

Index..